Gas or oil engine.



No. 745,215. PATENTED NOV. 24, 1903.

' A. G. MELHUISH.

GAS 0R. OIL ENGINE.

APPLIOATION IILED MAY 16, 1902. N0 MODEL. 9 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

' No. 745,215. PATENTED NOV. 24, 1903.

-' A. G. MELHUISH.

GAS 0R OIL ENGINE.

AEPLIOA'IION FILED nu 1a, 1902.

N0 MODEL. 9 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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No. 745,215. PATENTED NOV. 24, 1903.

A. G. MELHUISH.

GAS 0R OIL ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 16, 1902.

H0 MODEL. 9 SHBETS8HBET 4.

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No. 745,215. PATENTED NOV. 24, 1903.

A. G. MBLHUISH.

GAS 0R OIL ENGINE,

APPLICATION FILED MAY 16, 1902. no MODEL; o sums-slum 5.

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Nd. 745,215. PATENTED Nov-44,1903.

A. G. MBLHIHSH.

GAS OR OIL ENGINE. APPLICATION FILED MAY 16, 1902- PATENTED NOV. 24, 1903.

A. G. MELHUISH.

' GAS 0R OIL ENGINE. APPLICATION FILED MAY 16, 1902. N0 MODEL. v 9 SHEETS-SHEET 7.

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PATENTED NOV. 24, 1903.

- A. MBLH'UISH. GAS 0R OIL ENGINE. APPLICATION FILED MAY 16, 1902.

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APPLIUATION FILED MAY 16, 1902.

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(/7 rai'wie UNITED STATES f Patented November 24, 1903.

PATENT O FICE- GAS OR OIL ENGlNE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 745,215 dated November 24, 1903. Application filed May 16, 1902. Serial No. 107,655. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED GEORGE MEL- HUIsH, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Gothic Works, Angel Road, Edmonton, county of Middlesex, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in and Connected with Gas or Oil Engines, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention has for its object the construction of gas or oil engines with the following important points: First, insuring that a given volume of combustible mixture is after ignition expanded to double (more or less) its 9 cording to the particular purpose for which it is intendedto be used.

Figure 1 represents a side elevation of the engine, Fig. 2 being a section, upon an enlarged scale, of the cylinder, showing the location of some of the ports. Figs. 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 are sectional plans on the lines a a of Fig. 2, the cylinder and piston showing the respective positions of the piston during a complete cycle of operations, while Figs. 8, 9, 10 are sections on the lines o b, 00, and dd, respectively, of Fig. 2. Figs. 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15 are diagrammatical views showing method of effecting the reversal of the engine.

In carrying my invention into practice I form the piston of differential diameters 1 2, working in correspondingly-sized cylinders 3 4, of which 3 is termed the working cylinder and 4 the suction or vacuum cylinder. I

5 6 are ports that connect the working cylinder with the vacuum-cylinder when the piston 1 2 has completed its outstroke; but the port 6 is continued to the combustion-chamber, where it communicates with a non-reexplosion.

turn valve 7, opening outward to the exhaust by a cam on the lay-shaft 8.

On the opposite side of the cylinder 3 and at a point preferably half-way between the pistons complete instroke and outstroke is another port 9, which communicates with the V exhaust by way of a valve 10, opening inward,the spindle of this valve passing through the spindle of the valve 7 and operable by the same cam. A short spring 11 is interposed between the two spindles to allow of a little latitude of movement of the two spindles, and thus insure the correct seating of the valves upon their respective seats.

The cams 12 13 are preferably of eccentric formation, formed in one piece of metal, and slidable upon a feather 14 on the lay-shaft 8. This lay-shaft is rotated, by means of skewbevel or other gearing, from the crank-shaft and makes the same number of revolutions, or it the number of cams are multiplied in a radial plane of course the lay-shaft may make any correspondingly-varying number of revolutions to one revolution of the crank-shaft.

The air-inlet port 15 is formed in the bottom of the cylinder and has its opening to said cylinder at the pistons completeoutstroke, the air as it enters being deflected inward by the deflector 16.

v Oil mixed with a given and regulatable quantity of air enters by the valve 17, the oil being preferably conducted through holes 25 in the valve-seating, and as said oil and air.

enters the combustion-chamber it impinges upon the depression 18 around the upturned lip 19, which is kept hot at starting by an outside blow-lamp playing upon the ignition-tube 20 and afterward by the heat of the The cylinders 3 1 are made in one piece to form the liner, which is inserted in the outer cylinder or jacket 21, formed in a piece with the engine-bed 22, all the ports.

requiring communication with the atmosphere being formed as part of and alongside the cylinder 3 and conducted to the back end for connection to the exhaustvalves '7 and 10.

Having now described the general features of a gas or oil engine constructed according to my invention, I will now proceed to describe its cycle of operations.

Assuming that the piston is on its complete instroke and that a charge of combustible mixture has been compressed and fired, it then ilnpels the pistons 1 and 2 outward until they assume the position shown in Fig. 2,

5 and inasmuch as the fired charge has been thus expanded to twice its original volume before compression the pressure in the cylinder 3 will have dropped to about that of the atmosphere, the piston 2 on its outstroke having formed a partial vacuum in the cylpiston 2 on its outstroke uncovers the port 5, establishing communication between the working and vacuum cylinders, the products of the previous explosion are withdrawn from the cylinder 5 equal in volume to the efiect- 2o ive clearance volume of the cylinder 4, thus making at this time a partial vacuum in both cylinders. At its complete outstroke the pisto be revolving in the direction of the arrow and the cams 12 and 13 also in thedirection of the arrow. In Fig. 12 the crank has completed about half its instroke and the cam 12 has opened the valve 10 to allow the pr0dnets to escape, the piston completing its instroke and compressing the charge to about, say, forty pounds per square inch, when at this pressure the hot tube becomes effective and the charge is ignited. If, on the other hand, the cam he slid along its shaft to cause the cam 13 to be opposite the spindle, as in Fig. 5, of which Figs. 13, 14, and 15 are diagrams, it will now be seen that if the crank be moving in the direction of the arrow and the cams also in the same direction that the cam 13, being the one opposite the valve 10, is moving away from the said Valve, as is clear in Fig. 14. Consequently the piston on its inward stroke (the valve 10 being closed) will now compress the whole volume into the combustion-chamber, which being only of a capacity to receive half the volume to attain a pressure of forty pounds per square inch, with the result that doublethe pressure-say ton uncovers the air-inlet port 15. The air then rushes in to destroy the partial vacuum 25 and is deflected by the deflector 16 inward,

according to the direction of. the arrows, Fig. 2, and occupies a space equal to the points 6 to f and displaces the products partly into the cylinder 4 and partly to a position contiguous 0 to the piston 1 from the pointfto the pistonhead. At the same instant rich oil-gas is being drawn through the valve 17 in the manner diagrams Figs. 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15, in which 65 I have only shown the valve 10 as being the one chiefly concerned in this operation.

Referring to Fig. 11, the crank is assumed eighty poundsis attained. Now inasmuch that the ignition-tube is so timed to ignite the charge at forty pounds per square inch it follows that as a result of the valve 10 re maining closed this condition is arrived at when the crank arrives at the point 24, Fig. 14.

its outstroke; an outlet from said vacuumcylinder; an outlet from said working cylinder; a valve for each of said outlets; a stem for each of said valves; a revolving shaft; a

Ignition now takes place, with a rise of before described. Thus the rich oil-gasiand pressure sufficient to overcome the momen- I00 pure air are intermixed at the combustiontum of the fly-wheel and impel it in the op- 35 chamberend to form anignitible charge,while posite direction, when of course the cam 13 some air only remains to support combustion. is in its proper relation to open the valve 10 The return stroke now commences. The and allow the compression to be at its normal valves 7and 10 are commencing to open uncondition, as is evident from Fig. 15. To der the action of the cam 12. (See Fig. 3.) again reverse, the cam must be slid along its 40 The instroke continuing causes the piston 2 shaft to bring the cam 12 opposite the spinto discharge the contents of the chamber 4 dle, when compression is again increased, and through the port 6 through the valve? to the early firing takes place to cause the engine to exhaust-pipe 23, and the piston 1 pushes the run in the reverse direction. The essential no products remaining next to it out by way of feature of this part of the invention is the 5 the port 9 through the valves 10 to the same use of two connected cams in opposite phase, exhaust-pipe 23. The piston has now arbeing so arranged as to cause and increase rived at the position shown in Fig. 4. Noth compression and early firing when either cam ing but live mixture now remains, its volis moved out of phase with the then direction I 15 ume being equal to about half of the full of motion of the crank-shaft.

50 volume of the working cylinder. The piston What I do claim, and desire to secure by completes itsinstroke,compresses the charge, Letters Patent, iswhich is fired by the tube 20, and the piston 1. In a gas or oil engine, the combination is again expelled outward, the valves 7 and ofa working cylinder and avacuum-cylinder; no 10 during this outstroke remaining closed. a two-part piston operating in said cylinder;

55 Consequently the ignited charges expand means for supplying a charge of explosive through the whole length of the cylinder and material to said working cylinder; means for a vacuum or partial vacuum is again formed igniting said charge; a connection between in the cylinder 4 to withdraw the products said vacuum-cylinder and said working cylfrom the cylinder and introduce a new charge inder, whereby on the outstroke of the piston 6a,,in the manner before described. Now asthe exploded charge is withdrawn from said suming it is required to reverse the direction working cylinder into said vacuum-cylinder; of running of the engine the method of so an air-inlet in said working cylinder, so 10- doing will be made clear on reference to the cated that it is uncovered by said piston on 1 0 longitudinally-slidable sleeve on said shaft, mounted to rotate therewith; a plurality of lugs mounted at difierent points on ,said sleeve, each adapted to contact at diiferent times with said valve-stems; and means for moving said sleeve on said shaft.

2. An engine comprising a cylinder, a piston in said cylinder, means for creating a vacuum in said cylinder after the explosion of a charge, an inlet to said cylinder arranged to be opened on the outstroke of said piston to permit the entrance of a scavenging charge to said cylinder for displacing the products of combustion from the explosion end thereof, an outlet from said cylinder so arranged that approximately half the contentszof said cylinder are expelled therethrough on approximately the first half of the instroke of said piston, means forsupplying an explosive charge to said cylinder, said explosive charge and a portion of said scavenging charge being compressed on approximately the second half of the instroke of said piston, and means for exploding said compressed mixture.

3. An engine comprising a cylinder, a piston in said cylinder, means for creating a vacuum in said cylinder after the explosion of a charge, an inlet to said cylinder arranged to be opened on the ontstroke of said piston to permit the entrance of a scavenging charge to said cylinder for displacing the products of combustion from the explosion end thereof, an outlet from said cylinder'so arranged that approximately half the contents of said cylinder are expelled therethrough on approximately the first half of the instroke of said piston, means for supplying an explosive charge to said cylinder, said explosive charge and a portion of said scavenging charge being compressed on approximately the second half of the instroke of said piston, means for exploding said compressed mixture, and means for so controlling the outlet from said cylinder that the exit of said scavenging charge is temporarily retarded and the pressure in said cylinder is approximately doubled, whereby an explosion is caused at such time as to reverse the engine.

4. An engine comprising a working cylinder, a piston in said working cylinder, a vacuum-cylinder, a piston in said Vacuum-cylinder, a communication between said working cylinder and said vacuum-cylinder arranged to be opened on the outstroke of the piston in said working cylinder to create a partial vacuum in said working cylinder, an inlet to said working cylinder arranged to be opened on the outstroke of the piston to permit the entrance of a scavenging charge for displacing the products of combustion from the explosion end of said working cylinder, an outlet from said working cylinder so arranged that approximately half the contents of said working cylinder are expelled therethrough on approximately the first half of the instroke of said piston, means for supplying an explosive charge to said working cylinder, said eX- plosive charge and a portion of said scavenging charge being compressed on approximately the second half of the instroke of said piston, and means for exploding said compressed mixture.

5. An engine comprising a working cylinder, a piston in said working cylinder, a vacuum-cylinder, a piston in said vacuumcylinder, a communication between said working cylinder and said vacuum-cylinder arranged to be opened on the outstroke of the piston in said working-cylinder to create a partial vacuum therein, an inlet to said working cyl- 8o" inder arranged to be opened on the outstroke/ of the piston to permit the entrance of a scavenging charge for displacing the products of combustion from the explosion end of said working cylinder, an outlet from said working cylinder so arranged that approximately half the contents of said working cylinder are expelled therethrough on approximately the first half of the instroke of said piston, means for supplying an explosive o charge to said working cylinder, said explo-- sive charge and a portion of said scavenging charge being compressed on approximately the second half of the instroke of said piston, means for exploding said compressed mix- 5 ture, and means for so controlling the outlet from said working cylinder that the exit of said scavenging charge is temporarily prevented, whereby the pressure in said working cylinder is approximately doubled and [00 an explosion is caused at such time as to reverse the engine.

' In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in-presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALFRED GEORGE MELHUISH. 

